


Variations in F minor

by Vipersweb (Rhianona)



Series: Immortal Ianto [4]
Category: Highlander: The Series, Stargate SG-1, Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-27
Updated: 2009-07-27
Packaged: 2017-10-10 12:50:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/99973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhianona/pseuds/Vipersweb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four ways things could have gone differently on Day 4 of Children of Earth</p>
            </blockquote>





	Variations in F minor

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: [Insert witty comment here] Torchwood, Stargate SG-1 and Highlander do not belong to me.   
> Author's Note: Thanks to amyross for beta duties. I'm actually not very sure about this one. Takes place in my Immortal!Ianto universe,where Ianto is a ROG from the Highlander 'verse. Daniel is Daniel Jackson from Stargate and was Ianto's student. Like I said, not really sure about this. I wrote this in the direct aftermath of viewing COE episode 5. Concrit is very much welcome for this one.
> 
> Oh, and temporary deaths but they're Immortal, so I don't they count.

I.

Ianto felt the virus working its way through his body; he still had no idea how the 456 had disseminated the damned thing. Jack held him in his arms, threatening the aliens, which really? Was rather nice. Then Ianto began to babble. A part of him could scarcely believe the drivel that came from his mouth. "I love you." "Remember me." Since when was he maudlin? Clearly, Daniel had been correct when he suggested he had a neglected theatrical streak buried deep within him. Maybe he would look at joining a local community theater group in his next life. He was mildly annoyed that Jack couldn't even give him assurances of love and affection as he lay dying. For all that Jack knew, this was it. Even a lie would do.

Why didn't the virus affect Jack as quickly as it did him? It didn't seem fair; they were both Immortal, even if they had a different variety. Oh wait, there Jack went. Promising to remember him. Seemed he did actually matter to the other man.

Too bad it came too late. Ianto felt every century - every year of his life. Not because of the impending death of one Ianto Jones, though that certainly helped. No, Ianto Jones had led a hard life and he just wanted to leave that name and life behind. He didn't want the legacy of Torchwood anymore. Too many friends and loved ones had died in too short a time.

And alright, he wasn't exactly being fair to Jack. He knew Jack cared for Ianto. Maybe in a few decades, he would look the man up again and they could try again. Of course, he wouldn't be Ianto Jones then, but Jack might like the full picture of who he was, not just the bits and pieces he had crafted for Torchwood and Ianto Jones.

Maybe Jack would finally be comfortable with his immortality.

The darkness beckoned. His breathing slowed. He could scarcely feel a thing. Jack's lips touched his own briefly and he savored the taste. He suddenly wished they had had time for one last kiss, one last embrace before all this madness had started.

Too late. Ianto Jones was dead.

_Later_

He could feel Gwen and Jack leaning over him, mourning him. Thankfully, they hadn't realized he still breathed. He had revived too late to sneak away. He needed them gone. He couldn't help save the world, couldn't protect his sister (adopted, but still his sister. He had vague memories of her before the Rift had taken him all those years ago and sent him far into the past) and his niece and nephew. And, he supposed, Johnny.

Maybe… maybe he should let them know. They won't have time for explanations, but was it really fair to let them both think he had died? He hesitated… waited too long. They stood and walked out of the temporary morgue. He gave them ten minutes before he opened his eyes cautiously. Thank the gods he had experience in waking up dead in a morgue. The soldiers guarding the bodies kept to the bottom of the row of covered victims. He slipped out from his red shrouds and made his way to a side exit.

Time to jettison the Ianto Jones identity, become someone else and help save the world. He needed to get to Cardiff. No one threatened his family. Not even aliens.

He stifled the thought that maybe - just maybe - Jack or Gwen will see him and he won't have to put down the life of Ianto Jones just yet.

II

Jack raised an eyebrow as Ianto swung his trench coat onto his shoulders. Ianto appreciated that about Jack; curiosity conveyed by a single look, but the other man wouldn't ask. Somehow, trying to explain to his lover just why exactly he carried round a sword had not exactly come up yet. Ianto had considered explaining everything to Jack not even a week earlier. He would have too, except his lover appeared to detest the word "couple" and had done his very best to push him away.

The deaths of Owen and Tosh at the hands of his brother had hit Jack hard. He had at turns clung to he and Gwen and pushed them away. Ianto simply waited for Jack to return to them. He knew what Jack was going through, having gone through it himself, most recently at Canary Wharf. Oh, he knew he couldn't have stopped the Daleks and Cybermen, but it didn't stop him from feeling guilty at surviving when so many others had died. And then, there was Lise. His student. He should have protected her and instead, he had to take her head.

It was never an easy thing.

He called Rhiannon when they got closer to Thames House. Let the government or whoever listened in find them. He wanted her safe. They're not blood, can't be since he was Immortal, but they did grow up with each other until the Rift separated him from her. In another life, he wouldn't be one of the oldest Immortals; he would have just started the process and maybe, he would be like Jack. Unable to let go of mortals or accept death.

His phone vibrated, signaling the receipt of a text. He pulled it out and smirked as he read it. The Immortals had decided to take a stand. Earth was their home. They would not allow her children to be taken. Not without a fight.

The 456… so certain they held the upper hand. So certain that humans wouldn't fight. Clearly, they had never learned that parents will fight to the death and beyond to keep safe their offspring.

Ianto followed Jack's lead. He smiled fiercely, exchanging a look of confidence with Jack as they arrived on the thirteenth floor. He could feel the steady heat of battle start to envelop him. Excitement stirred. For the first time in centuries, Immortals would knowingly expose themselves to Mortals.

And he got to do it.

He, Ianto Jones. An Immortal with one of the strangest histories. Born in 1983 and sent back in time to thousands of years before his own birth. An Immortal who had eluded Watcher surveillance for many centuries and whose existence wasn't even a myth. A footnote in the pages of history.

Just as he had always liked it. Easier to stay out of the Game.

His foot jiggled in nervous anticipation. Revealing the existence of Immortals to the public had not come easily. In the conversations he had had with others - Daniel, Methos, even that damned Boy Scout and his group - all had agreed that if something threatened the Earth, they needed to help protect it. He and Daniel had taken a loose definition of the security agreements they had signed. Of course, they had only told those they trusted about the existence of aliens and how they had almost destroyed Earth numerous times in the past. Besides, as Methos had pointed out, it was good P.R. If they helped to prevent the annihilation of Earth and her people, it would be much more difficult for people to condemn them out of hand.

Sometimes, being the hero worked well.

"An injury to one, is an injury to all," Jack stated proudly. Perfect. Time for action.

"You're not getting one, single, solitary child," Ianto announced. "The deal is off."

The 456 laughed. They didn't believe humans would fight. They thought them weak.

"We will fight you," Ianto warned. "You threaten us with death, the extinction of the human race. But not every human that calls Earth their home, is mortal." He pulled out his beloved long sword, a constant companion that had stayed at his side for over six centuries. "I, Ianto Jones, on behalf of my fellow Immortals tell you this. You will not succeed. We will not let you take the children of our friends, our Watchers, our colleagues and companions. We will stand and fight. And you. You will not succeed." And for the first time in centuries, he let loose the full force of his quickening. He let drop the quiet demeanor of Ianto Jones and stood free and tall, the warrior and scholar he had become through centuries of living.

Jack stared at him, shock coloring his features. Ianto felt a twinge of remorse. Maybe he should have told him sooner. Even as he watched his lover, Jack stuffed his feelings away and turned to face the 456.

Ianto knew they would prevail. The 456 didn't know what they had coming.

III

Ianto inserted the ear piece Daniel had sent him and grabbed the Gun - as he referred to it - from where it had sat hidden amidst the other packages he had procured earlier that day. Of course, the Gun had actually been beamed down to him and not something he had purchased, but that was neither here nor there. Not for the first time, was Ianto glad that one of his students worked for the equivalent of Torchwood. Daniel had sent him equipment he would need to use against the 456 even as he had told his close friend and former team member, General Jack O'Neill to look for the 456 ship. At this moment, the space ships used by the IOA and Stargate program were searching for the enemy. Ianto just felt a strong deal of relief that Torchwood did not have to feel the burden of alien invasion by themselves. Hopefully the SGC and IOA would come through and the children of Earth would remain safe.

Miracle of miracles, Jack didn't comment on the presence of the Gun. It made life easier for him. The Gun came out of nearly a decade of research and collaboration with different alien allies. Ianto didn't particularly care about its antecedent; he only cared about results. No one wanted the 456 to win.

He and Jack arrive at Thames House and no one even bothered to stop them from entering the elevator. The security men wanted nothing to do with the mysterious thirteenth floor. They were happy to let someone else take charge.

An understandable reaction, really. No one wanted to take responsibility for anything that might result in death or destruction of the human race. Security might not know all of what occurred on the top floor of Thames House, but they knew enough to be scared.

No one accompanied them into the room where the 456 held court. The video recorder was set to record by itself, a link to the Prime Minister and his cabinet. Ianto assumed Gwen still recorded it all through Lois' contact lenses. If all went well, they would save this world and her children from the 456. And if not? At least they would go down fighting. The Daleks hadn't succeeded in bringing man to its knees and neither had the Cybermen. They had bent and almost broken but they had held off long enough for the Doctor to work his usual miracles and save the day. This time, the Doctor hadn't arrived - though there was still time for him to come - and it would be up to man himself to save the day.

Ianto quite looked forward to it.

The 456 made their counter-threats. Jack looked as determined as ever. Ianto loved that about him. For all that Jack was young, he still held that optimism that came with youth - that nothing was insurmountable.

"Every virus has an antivirus," Ianto proclaimed. He wondered what was taking Daniel and his people so long. Surely finding the ship used by the 456 shouldn't take this long? "You will give it to us, or die with us."

He and Jack aimed their pistols at the glass that encased the 456 in their atmosphere. The bullets bounced off, just as Ianto had suspected. Of course the 456 would ensure their own safety. He sighed; he had wanted to hold off on using the Gun until he had received word from Daniel. At the same time, he wanted to ensure the 456 realized he and by extension Jack and Torchwood meant what they said. Decisions, decisions…

The virus started to make its way through his body and as it did, he realized time was running out. The British government watched as Jack made his demands and issued his commands. If they fell, even temporarily, they would take it upon themselves to sell the world's children. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Pulling the Gun from his coat, he carefully aimed and fired. A beam of white intermingled with blue shot from it.

"What is that?" Jack asked. Ianto smirked as the beam melted a hole in the enclosure. "Ianto! You need to get out of here before you're poisoned!" Jack pulled at him, trying to drag him towards the exit. "Let me deal with this!" Jack pleaded.

Shrugging his lover off, he continued to fire the Gun. "The antivirus, please," he asked, unwilling to give in to the 456. "Don't worry, Jack," he continued, "they can't kill me." Jack snorted in disbelief. He shot him a look full of confidence and determination. They _would_ persevere. The human race could not be allowed to die. Not like this. Not at the mercy of the 456.

"Mr. Jones," a voice interrupted him through his ear piece. "We have acquired the target. We will commence our attack in 60 seconds."

Finally! Daniel and his people had come through. "We told you the Earth was protected, than an attack on one was an attack on all. Earth is defended. You will not win!" Ianto proclaimed.

The 456 screeched as its enclosure was breached. Noxious gas seeped through the room and he finally let Jack manhandle him out of it. Well, more like stumbled. The virus had started to affect them both. "What's going on?" Jack asked, holding onto Ianto.

"The _Daedalus_ and _Apollo_ are firing on their ship," Ianto informed him. Jack frowned in consternation and confusion. Ianto smiled fondly at him as he dragged the other man to the floor.

"There's time enough for that later," Jack said with a hint of his usual cheek. Ianto laughed.

"We'll have time enough when it's over," he agreed.

"We have to get you out of here!" Jack insisted.

"Too late. I can feel the virus working on me."

Jack looked devastated. "But…"

"Don't worry," Ianto tried to reassure him. "It will all be alright."

And it would. He might die, but they had defeated the 456. The world was safe. Everything else could be dealt with later. Including pesky issues, such as his Immortality.

IV

"Stay out here," Jack instructed as they reached Thames House. "I want you safe."

Ianto smiled fondly at Jack. "What about you?"

"I can't die, remember? Besides, I want you to make sure no one comes in after me. Gwen's pretty sure about Lois, but we don't know for sure she'll actually act."

Nodding his agreement, Ianto took position at the top of the steps. Not that it would really protect him should the government come gunning for them, but he appreciated that Jack didn't want him in the same room as the 456. "Come back to me," he insisted as he pulled Jack in for a kiss. This was no time to hold petty grudges. Jack smirked.

"I always do," he said and he strode into the lobby.

Later, after the building went into lock down and its occupants died, pounding on the glass doors, sinking into the halls as they tried to flee their impending death, Ianto wondered at Jack's forethought. He liked being Ianto Jones and was in no hurry to jettison his identity. Death - especially one as public as this - held no appeal for him. He wanted to keep his own Immortality a secret for now. Later, if it warranted, he would gladly share all his secrets with Jack. But not now. He still didn't trust Torchwood.

Especially after the breeches in their security that had occurred.

He had no desire to reveal Immortality to the world's governments and become a lab subject. None of his fellow Immortals did. Instead, he - and by extension they – would ensure that those in the governments who had advocated collecting the children and giving in to the 456 received their just desserts.

After all, Earth had her guardians. It wouldn't do for people to act like that and not suffer the consequences.

_/fin_


End file.
